Story by Patience Nyagato
DZOKA Festival roared to life in Harare this Thursday, offering a colourful celebration of Zimbabwean identity, culture and pride, as the country positions heritage and homecoming tourism at the heart of its national tourism strategy.
Traditional song, dance and rhythm set the tone, complemented by rich gastronomy tourism experiences where authentic Zimbabwean dishes brought culture to life through taste, memory and tradition.
Touring exhibition stands, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Tongai Mnangagwa, underscored the importance of cultural festivals in driving heritage-based tourism.
“These platforms are key in promoting our heritage and culture cluster, while creating meaningful tourism experiences that reconnect Zimbabweans with their roots. We have clustered our tourism and heritage is one of the biggest why you can never go to Russia to experience the Zimbabwean cultures you have to come to Zimbabwe countries like Japan France and everything people from they want to know about different cultures so they will travel if you package your culture properly people come and see how it’s how you live how you take care of your animals how you farm. It is a very interesting but it is unique to each culture unique to each country so it is about packaging so this will help us package our heritage and our culture to showcase to the people out there to say come and experience the Zimbabwean culture well like today,” Honourable Mnangagwa said.
“We are having a a big concert young artist. I saw some artists arriving yesterday all those artists relate to the younger generation so as long as your artists also is at such an event you your eyes will be open yourself to say culture is important. I can follow my culture. I can be proud of my culture at one point when we colonize, we are told that we should abandon our cultures but with these platforms the young ones now who see their celebrities like this,” he added.
Organisers say Dzoka Festival is more than entertainment, as it is a call for Zimbabweans, particularly those in the diaspora to return home and rediscover their identity.
“Dzoka means coming back home. This festival celebrates who we are as Zimbabweans while showcasing our cultural diversity to the world,” Dzoka Festival Coordinator, Tatenda Nyaruwe added.
Billed as Zimbabwe’s flagship home-coming music and culture festival, Dzoka Festival is set to ignite the capital with a star-studded line-up blending global and local sounds.
International acts including South Africa’s Darkoo, DJ Maphorisa, Jazzwrld and Thukutela share the stage with local favourites Nisha Ts, Jr Spragga and Saintfloew, promising an explosive mix of Afrobeats, Amapiano, urban music and Zim dancehall.
Beyond the music, the festival reinforces Zimbabwe’s tourism vision – celebrating heritage, culture and cuisine as powerful tools for national branding and economic growth.
